The Test of Faith and Resulting Promises

Retelling the story of the binding of Isaac (the Akedah in Hebrew) is a yearly tradition for the Jewish people during the High Holy Days. According to Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah is the day God judges all creation. The Jews depend upon "accumulated spiritual credit" of their patriarchs. They remind God of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son and of Isaac's submission to the will of his father. In addition, blowing the shofar on the new year reminds God of how He provided a ram caught in its horns in a thicket. That ram would become a substitute sacrifice.
 
As the Jews retell this story, they are reminded of the need for their own repentance (teshuvah) before God. The story is meant to invoke the fear of God as they live through the next ten days, called the "Days of Awe," that end on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. Considered the holiest day of the year, it is dedicated to repentance, fasting, and seeking God for forgiveness of sin.
 
Abraham's obedience to carry out God's command to sacrifice his son is hard for all of us to understand. Was this not the same man who just pleaded for the lives of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah? He asked God: "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:23) He continued: "Suppose ten should be found there?" God responded: "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten."  (Genesis 18:32 - NKJV) Yet, when asked to destroy his own son, Abraham did not question God. When told, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you," he did not make a sound. (Genesis 22:2) Scripture tells us he "rose early in the morning" to begin the three-day journey to the mountain of sacrifice.
 
The testing of Abraham's faith also took place immediately after he had planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba (well of oath or well of seven) while he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. (Genesis 21:33) The tamarisk tree is a very slow growing, deep-rooted tree that takes centuries to reach full maturity. Abraham would never experience the full shade of this tree. His act of planting a tamarisk tree demonstrated his faith that his descendants would inhabit the land. The tree would become a legal marker of this land and well ownership.
 
Before traveling to Moriah with Isaac, Abraham split wood for the burnt offering. The wood was laid on Isaac while Abraham carried the fire. When questioned by Isaac about the whereabouts of the sacrificial lamb, Abraham answered him in faith: "My son, God will provide Himself a   lamb for a burnt offering..." (Genesis 22:8 - KJV) When they arrived at the place of sacrifice Abraham had to build an altar, place the wood upon it, and then bind his son on top of it. As he was about to plunge a knife into Isaac, the Lord called to him twice. "Abraham! Abraham!" Note that repeating a person's name twice in Biblical Hebrew shows the urgency of the call. It also shows intimacy from the one who is speaking the name. Abraham's response was, "Here I am."
 
The test was passed, and God did provide a ram caught in a thicket for the sacrifice. Abraham names the place, "The Lord Will Provide." Here is what the Lord says to Abraham: "By Myself I have sworn." God continues in this way by making three promises to Abraham--To bless his seed, to enable the Hebrews to possess the land, and to bless his people that they should bless all nations. It is no wonder that the Jews retell this story as a reminder of God's faithfulness. We should do likewise.